Unlikely Encounters
by AkaNoAya
Summary: What if Sakura was never from Konoha? A completely different past leads to a different future. How did she end up in Konoha anyways, unlikely encounters may provide her another choice, a path different from the rest. My first fanfic, so bear with the grammar mistakes.Hopefully I would improve with future updates Constructive criticisms and reviews are appreciated. ;3
1. Chapter 1

' _How did it end up like this?_ '

The large man wandered around the desolate looking place. He was just supposed to be on an easy mission and then he was done. He just did not know how he ended up in this situation.

The mission was simple really.

Reports has pointed that a spy has slipped pass village defenses and leaking critical information about the village to enemies. He was supposed to search for his target and eliminate him on sight.

The target was last sighted hiding among the edge of the village where the poorest and weakest reside. The villagers tend to ignore or even hate the inhabitants of what the villagers deem as ' Gomiken'.

Those who reside in these parts fight to survive, either through the harsh conditions or the hunger that ravages through each of them. Out casted and isolated from the main village, they receive no help nor pity from the villagers.

So when this large nin walked right through the Gomiken, its inhabitants had their eyes pinned on him watching his every moves, fearful of his presence.

Well, he expected that but was not intimidated because he was anything but weak so he only focused his attention to locating the spy. He spread out his chakra and search for his intended target when all of the sudden a hooded kid ran right into him.

Of course, being so large and tall he didn't budge from his spot but the kid fell butt first against the dirt.

"Hey! Watch where you're-" His voice deep. Before he finished his sentence, the kid had already sprinted away from him. He shrugged and continued his search.

Little did he know, the kid smirked as she ran away.

After a while, his mission was accomplished and the target lying in a pool of his own blood. He grinned as his bloodlust was satisfied, rows of sharp teeth showing. Katana now sheathed, he begin his journey back towards the Mizukage's office to deliver his report.

Halfway there, he felt the killing intent thick in the air. He took out a kunai in response and deflected the senbon aimed at him.

"Never let your guard down, Kisame"

"Fuguki-sama,your greetings sure are weird. Heh… You might end up dead one day and I cannot be held responsible " His bloodlust seeping through. "I have already taken care of the mission and am on my way to report"

"Good. Information must be protected in these dire times especially when relations are strained between the villages." Fuguki all but whispered the words, never really meeting the eyes of the intended listener. Fuguki then proceeded to body flickered away.

Kisame moved his hands to placed his kunai back. Then, he finally realized something is missing. Hands dug thoroughly in his worn brown pouch in a desperate attempt to dismiss the idea that he was pickpocketed.

"Are you freaking kidding me….." Kisame deadpanned. He felt pathetic, how could he someone so powerful fall victim to pickpockets.

Then as if a light bulb went off in his mind, he remembered the moment when the kid barreled into him which would have given rise to an opportunity to steal his money pouch. Kisame urged to run back to the Gomiken as soon as the thought crossed his mind.

' _But the mission report…'_ The thought nagged at him _–duty always comes first._ Luckily, a freshly appointed chunin was around, you could tell by how the greenhorn was bragging about passing the chunin exam.

A perfect opportunity for Kisame to take advantage of the chunin. "Hey you, I have a job for you..." Kisame said, his signature grind on his face.

Now free from duty, Kisame headed back to the Gomiken to look for the culprit.

That's how it all led to this situation he was in now.

' _How did it end up like this?_ '

The search for the thieving kid had dragged on for hours and ended with no result. _'Great job Kisame, you can find the enemy but you can't find a puny brat'_

It seem he just can't catch a break today _._

"I been searching all day long! Why me?" the blue-skinned nin yelled towards the now grey sky. Soon, darkness would consume the land as night approaches.

With the natural thick mist of Kirigakure no Sato, surviving the non-forgiving winter-like conditions of the night can prove to be a challenge especially for those with no proper heat source.

However, Kisame was determined to find the little culprit hence he started looking for shelter in what little forest the village has to offer.

A small hut that looks barely livable entered his vision. Initially the hut looked abandoned but the faint glow of embers indicated otherwise. The closer he got, he could see a hooded figure hiding in the shadow of the hut.

The figure jumped into action once he got closer. The attack was easily dodged as he side stepped and the figure plop to the ground. Kisame had to hold back his laughter but he couldn't stop a grin from showing. His previous anger evaporated by the hysterical show.

"Oww…that hurts" The figure sat up, tiny hands rubbing her forehead. The hood slid off revealing a head of pink. To say, Kisame was not surprised to see the colour of her hair is a downright lie.

The child looked no older than ten years old. Her stature so tiny and thin, her form covered in dirt.

"Kid, you alright?" Kisame towered over the tiny girl but offered a hand anyways to help her up, but yet the girl refused to meet his eyes.

"You're not going to kill me, even though I stole your money?" The girl questioned her voice high-pitched just like any other child her age but defiance clear in her tone. She was not going down without a fight though she hardly stood a chance.

Kisame's beady eyes stared her down and she finally lifted her eyes from the ground to meet his eyes. The girl's eyes shined a brilliant emerald green under the limited moonlight.

After a long moment of silence, "If that is your wish" His grin still ever present on his face. A gush of cold wind blew through the forest as if sensing the tension in the air.

Flames of determination and defiance danced brightly in the eyes of the girl as she stared death in the face, not backing down an inch. Her stance tense but her form shook ever so slightly as the cold creep on.

The plan was to kill and be done with it but looking at the child in front of him somewhat surviving on her own, his heart went out to her though not many know of his soft side underneath the cold and brutal image he created for himself.

Although his hand was placed on the hilt of his katana – ready to strike at a moment's notice, he could not find the strength to unsheathe his katana.

"Relax kid, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm actually kind of impressed with your thieving skills." The girl gave him _you-expect-me-to-believe-you_ look. Her eyebrow arched high.

Kisame put his hands up as a joke in a show of surrender. Though still wary, the girl allowed herself to relax a little in his presence.

"What's your name kid?"

"It's common courtesy to give your own name first before asking for another."

"Sassy aren't we?" Kisame grinned wider if that was even possible. _'I like her'_ he thought out loud in his mind.

The girl huffed but one could see a smile aching to break through.

"Kisame Hoshigaki"

"I'm Sakura."


	2. Chapter 2

'Thunk, thunk, thunk.' The sound of the shurikens hitting the tree pierces through the silence of the morning then came the booming laughter.

"Hahaha. You suck kid." Kisame continued to laugh his guts out, tears blurring his vision; leaning on the tree for support.

"It's not like I can master it in a week!" Sakura countered, her hands sticking up to exaggerate her point.

Somehow, they had gotten closer over the week after Kisame offered to teach her ninja arts for her survival.

"I know I said I would teach you." Trying to hold back his laughter, "I didn't expect it to be a source of entertainment too."

Sakura pouted as she pulled the shurikens out of the tree, "At least it hit the target this time."

"No worries kid. With me as your sensei, you'll be a kickass ninja." He stood behind her—shurikens in hand—with practiced ease he threw them with a flick of his wrist. The shuriken decorated the bull's eye of the targets.

"Relax your stance kid. You're too tense." He advised.

Sakura took her position and threw the shurikens with renewed vigor. Her eyes focused on the path of the shuriken—it hits the targets however not perfectly.

"Better, maybe you don't suck as much as I thought." Signature grin on his face. "Needs more practice. Let's move onto kunai."

"Bring it on!" Her eyes shining with that fire of determination again. Their grueling training session went on for the next several hours.

* * *

"You're a spartan." Sakura lay on the damp grass, her chest rising and dropping rapidly as she tried to catch her breath. But the smile was etched onto her face— thinking back to her progress- said otherwise.

"Here kid." A brown pack was thrown to her. "My own tool pouch?" she questioned amazed.

"Shuriken, kunai, wire strings, explosive tags and senbon." Kisame listed, each of his fingers going up as he named an item. His fondness for the pinkette showing through the trust he put in her.

"Thank you." She jumped up and flashed him a big grateful smile. "Let me take care of dinner as thanks."

As night rolled around, they found themselves sitting next to a fire, fish—caught by Sakura—on sticks grilling nearby. It was quite a catch with the rarity of fish in the river. The smell of food wafting through the air; making both of their stomach grumble as their hunger make themselves apparent.

Sakura picked up the perfectly cooked fish and handed one to Kisame. They hungrily chow down on the succulent meat leaving only the bone behind. "At least your cooking skill is redeemable." Kisame joked as he stood up to stretch.

"I have other redeemable skills you know," Sakura smiled as she rolled her eyes.

"Listen kid. I'm going to be away for next few days. Better not slack off practice."

"You know I won't slack off." She repositioned herself nearer to the fire, shivering more as the wind picked up. "Be careful out there; you still have a lot to teach me."

Her shivering slowly fades as Kisame's warmth radiated from his position next to her as he sat down beside her.

"You know it kid." His huge hand placed atop her head. The action somewhat comforted Sakura and they sat there in comfortable silence.

Sakura eventually fell victim to her exhaustion and fell asleep leaning on Kisame for warmth.

Kisame felt the pressure in his side grow and found the blissfully sleeping girl. Her expression peaceful.

It was then the harsh fact that the Gomiken exist; that people like her – _defenseless and vulnerable_ —are left out and thrown aside by the village just like that—just because they didn't benefit the village.

That some villagers like himself were living in ignorant bliss while she was out here, fighting for survival. It wasn't unusual to see fights breaking out here in Gomiken— he noticed throughout the week he came here to visit her. People can go crazy either from hunger or desperation.

 _The village was always_ _ **absolute**_.

That was taught before all else. It was the iron solid rule; none ever questioned it. But the prior realization made a sense of doubt bubbled in his chest. He did not contemplate on it and quickly brushed it aside.

His small beady eyes landed on the young girl beside him, ' _Just a whole lot of wasted potential.'_

* * *

The bright rays of the rising sun jarred Sakura awake. She sat up from her position on the ground; trying to rub the haze of sleep out of her eyes. Her tattered cloak falls from her shoulders; she didn't remember having her cloak with her last night.

Her still lidded eyes roam quickly around their make shift camp site. Other than the remains of the fire from last night, nobody else was around.

' _Guess he already left.'_ She hummed to herself, finally getting up and stripping off what little clothes she had on her to take a refreshing dip in the river; washing off grime and dirt off her malnourished body.

Her now brighter pink hair was dripping wet as she climbed out of the river and redressed herself. Picking up the pack Kisame gifted her; withdrawing a kunai which glinted as the sunlight reflected off the sharp edges of the deadly tool.

"Let's continue with training." Chucking the kunai in the direction of the roughly craved target on the nearest tree. It narrowly missed the outer rings of the craved out target. The rest of the morning was spent practicing by repeatedly throwing kunai and shurikens.

She let out the sigh of frustration as the tools still seem to fall short of its mark. It littered the ground and around the most outer ring of target. She threw the last shuriken she had on her person—before going to collect them back—which miraculously hit closer to the centre than she had ever achieved before.

"I almost got a bull's eye! Did you see that?" she exclaimed excitedly, turning around expecting to see someone there. There was no one there.

' _Oh… I forgot he left.'_ she blushed at the embarrassing action; glad that no one was around to witness it.

'Heh...'

'Something funny Hoshigaki-san?'

The man in question turn his gaze towards his teammate for the mission. 'Just thought of something funny.'

Placing his katana back into its sheath, 'Let's get moving, I want to reach the location before sunset.'

The small unit of three people then continued on their travels, leaving no traces of any activity behind in the small clearing.


End file.
